metering.com 26 JULY 2016
US power utility Seattle City Light announced its plan to increase the number of EV charging stations to pave way for increased adoption of electric vehicles in Seattle.
According to a local publication, the power utility will install hundreds of charging stations in Seattle homes to allow EV users to charge their vehicles at home. The development is expected to reduce pressure on the city’s existing public EV charging stations.
The project will also include the installation of 20 fast charging stations in the city business district to increase the number of public stations.
The system to be integrated with the new charging stations is reported to be able to fully charge an EV within 30 minutes.
In addition, Seattle City Light said that its grid is secure enough to support the integration of electric vehicles.
The news comes at a time when EVs have represented 1% of the total sales of vehicles in Seattle during the month of June. [US gov commits $4.5 billion to EV buildout].
It is predicted that electric vehicles will represent 15% of car sales in the US by 2025.
EV charging systems in the US
In mid-March, EV charging solutions provider EV Connect won a $1.8m contract with the California Energy Commission.
Under the contract, EV Connect will participate in the completion of key routes of the West Coast Electric Highway.
The highway is a network of EV fast-charging stations being developed along the Interstate-5 (I-5) in the US stretching from the Canadian border to the Mexican border.
In a press statement, EV Connect said it will establish EV fast charging stations in the California 99 and Interstate 5 highways. [California utilities bet on EV charging to relieve strain on grid].
The EV solutions provider will install one or two 50KW Dual-Standard DC Fast Chargers in each highway.
The chargers will feature an SAE Combo and CHAdeMO connector.
A single 7.2KW dual-head level 2 charger equipped with standard J1772 connectors will also be established in either one of the two highway.
Image credit: Techdrive.com